Pakistan-Afghanistan negotiations: No progress, simmering tensions.
The third round of talks between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban, mediated by Qatar and Turkey, in Istanbul failed, and officials from both countries blamed each other for the deadlock and the failure of the talks.
Meanwhile, Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said that Kabul is not willing to provide written guarantees, while in international negotiations all commitments and guarantees are recorded, written on paper, and signed.
He said: “The empty-handed return of our delegation from Istanbul and even the mediators’ disappointment in achieving any positive result reflects the ambiguous and destructive approach of the Afghan Taliban.”
The Pakistani Defense Minister warned: “Until there is an attack from Afghan soil, we will adhere to the ceasefire; otherwise, we will respond to any attack quickly.”
Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar also said about the third round of talks with the Afghan Taliban: “The burden of responsibility lies on Kabul to fulfill its long-standing international, regional and bilateral commitments to defeat terrorism, which they have failed to achieve so far.”
He added: Pakistan has no grudge against the people of Afghanistan. However, it will never support the actions of the Taliban regime that harm the interests of the people of Afghanistan as well as neighboring countries.
Pakistan’s Information Minister stressed that his country will continue to use all necessary options to protect the security of its people and its sovereignty.
Meanwhile, the spokesman for the caretaker government of Afghanistan announced that negotiations with the Pakistani delegation in Istanbul, Turkey, ended without results due to what he called Islamabad’s irresponsibility and lack of cooperation.
Experts in Pakistan say that until the Afghan Taliban is willing to take real action against the anti-Pakistan group, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, these negotiations will not yield any results.
According to them, the Afghan Taliban is not willing to deal with its ally, the Pakistani Taliban, and considers any action against it as an action against itself.